Daily Life of a Powerful Official Supporting His Wife

Chapter 12

Chapter 12
After dinner at the Gu residence, since they were here under the guise of the Fragrance Appreciation Association, they had to do some practical work. The ladies present who were close friends with the Gu family also brought their daughters along, having secretly heard that Su would be coming, hoping to elicit a few compliments from her to help their children's marriages.

However, Mrs. Gu suffered a setback at the hands of Mrs. Su, so everyone stopped caring about her, as they wanted to avoid getting embarrassed and also save face in front of the other ladies.

The older ladies stayed in the hall to chat with Madam Gu, perhaps hoping to get rid of Lu Baoer and the others. Madam Gu thought, "Is this Madam Xie's first time visiting the mansion? You're young, and it's bound to get boring if you stay in the hall with us. Why don't you follow Jiaojiao to the backyard? The girls are playing drinking games with sour plum soup, so it's a good time to have some fun together."

It's interesting to say that a young wife must have a husband of a low official rank. In the court every thirty to fifty years, who can get promoted? So this sentence is very good at distinguishing between high and low ranks. The gap in status means that they can't play together.

Lu Baoer nodded and said, "The Ice Lake Pavilion in the mansion is beautiful, with many rare items. I've been enlightened for the first time here today, so how can I feel bored? I sat too long at the table before, and I want to move around more. Then follow Miss Li to the backyard to take a look." She followed the old nanny's instructions and said this to Madam Gu in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, and also praised the beauty of her mansion.

Flattery never wears out, even if she doesn't like Lu Baoer, she wouldn't hit someone who smiles at her. Given Mrs. Gu's good manners, she wouldn't find fault with her.

When Lu Baoer, Lin Yudie and other ladies of lower rank went to the backyard, several young ladies had already gathered together to play Feihua Ling with sour plum soup. They said it was a drinking game, but there was no drinking involved anyway. They just competed in poetry and songs to gain a reputation as talented women.

The young ladies who played with Li Jiao all came from families with lower official positions than Lord Gu. Their mothers told them to get closer to Li Jiao, so they naturally treated her highly and did not compete with each other for the flying flower order.

Li Jiao had always disliked Lu Bao'er, and now seeing her coming, Liu Yanshuang, who was Li Jiao's good friend, quietly tugged at her clothes and whispered, "Have you seen that Madam Xie? My mother said she's from the countryside and doesn't know the slightest bit of etiquette. Don't let her play with us. If she can't answer the Feihua Ling, it will be embarrassing to watch."

Li Jiao had a plan in mind when she heard her words. She chuckled softly and said, "Don't be so petty! They are guests. If you want to have fun, then have fun with the ladies. Otherwise, my grandmother will definitely blame me for not treating her well!"

Liu Yanshuang thought about it and realized that this was the truth. She stuck out her tongue and said nothing.

Li Jiao stepped forward and said to Lu Baoer, who was leading the group, "Thank you, Madam. You've come just in time! We're playing Feihua Ling right now. Would you like to join us?"

"Flying Flower Order?" Lu Baoer whispered without commenting.

The old nanny was worried about her. She knew that people in the countryside believed that "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent", and she didn't know how well Lu Baoer read and wrote.
Lin Yudie was actually quite frightened by this. She held her forehead and said, "Oh, I suddenly have a headache. I'm going to rest in the warm room for a while. I'm sorry, everyone. Miss Li and Madam Xie, enjoy yourselves! I'm the one who spoiled the fun!"

She found an excuse to slip away, but Lu Baoer was still standing there stupidly.

Li Jiao thought to herself, "She's just a country girl. I wonder if she's even educated? And how dare a girl like that ask Su to be prudent? I wonder if she can handle it!"

Li Jiao's voice was slightly provocative as she continued to ask, "If Madam Xie rarely reads and doesn't know much about poetry, she doesn't have to participate in the Feihua Order."

Her words seemed euphemistic, but they were actually quite blunt. What official lady or young lady wasn't literate? Only women from the countryside would consider their husbands their most important, hoping to marry and serve them solely with their beauty and bear children for them.

When they marry, they will become the head wives of the clan. They must be proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. They could even become the top female scholar. Without some knowledge, they would be laughed at by their husbands.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanshuang hid her sleeves and burst out laughing. Flying Flower Order wasn't a difficult trick; anyone could easily master a few lines of poetry. It involved a seven-character poem. The first person to answer had to choose a poem with "花" as the first character. The second person to answer had to choose a poem with "花" as the second character, and so on.

She was about to say, "Okay, okay, Mrs. Xie doesn't want to come, so don't ask."

But Lu Baoer smiled and said, "Okay, I'll try it too."

She accepted it so gracefully that Liu Yanshuang and Li Jiao seemed a bit aggressive. Don't be too pretentious, Li Jiao looked unhappy.

The group rearranged themselves and began playing the game of flying flowers. Those who couldn't answer drank plum juice. Lu Baoer was seventh, Li Jiao sixth. When Li Jiao answered, "Everyone who goes out is looking at flowers," everyone's eyes fell on Lu Baoer, waiting for her next words.

Liu Yanshuang chuckled: "I'm afraid I can't tell you, I'll just drink my fill of sour plum juice!"

Unexpectedly, Lu Baoer took half a step, smiled slightly, and said, "No people, only flowers."

Everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected her to answer the question correctly, but she had also borrowed a line from Han Yu (a late Tang poet) to connect with Li Jiao's elegant line about watching flowers. They had all assumed Lu Baoer was illiterate, but she was not only literate, but she was also becoming quite famous.

Li Jiao was so angry that she was fuming, but she didn't dare to say anything, as she seemed unworthy of being a lady.

Lu Baoer also sensed something was amiss. She said calmly, "That's just this round. I won't be coming next time. I'm sorry to have spoiled the fun for you ladies. It's just that I have a headache, perhaps I've caught a cold, and I want to say goodbye to Madam Gu and leave first." The old nanny helped her back to the hall and sent a maid to inform Madam Gu. It was indeed getting late, and it was time to be tactful and return home.

The old nanny had seen the previous difficulties, but she didn't expect Lu Baoer to resolve them so easily. She was surprised and happy, and asked, "Madam, have you ever been to school at home?"

Lu Baoer pursed her lips and smiled: "My father was a scholar and he also opened a school in the countryside."

"So that's how it is!" Fortunately, I accidentally gained a good reputation today. Otherwise, it would be unpleasant to hear that the wife of the top scholar was illiterate and came from a humble background.

On the other side, inside Xie’s mansion.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Xie Junling put down his book, lit a lamp and walked towards the kitchen.

When the kitchen servant saw Xie Junling lift his robe and walk through the door, he was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and stammered, "Why is the master here? Is the food not to your taste?"

Seeing these people kneeling on the ground in fear, Xie Junling didn't realize how frightening he was. He said calmly, "Get up. I just wanted to cook a dish."

The cook was speechless and stammered, "Master cooks for me personally? This... this is against the rules."

What official didn't wait for others to serve him? And was there someone like Xie Junling who rushed over and rolled up his sleeves to cook?

"That's fine." Xie Junling thought of the days when he would go to the kitchen to prepare food for Lu Baoer after finishing his articles. He smiled slightly and said, "I'm originally from the countryside, so why should I have so many rules? I shouldn't forget my roots."

Now that things had come to this, the cook and the servants couldn't stop them even if they wanted to. Everyone had a sad face, thinking that they would be scolded by Chen Shan, the steward later.

Xie Junling pretended not to notice and asked calmly, "Is there any duck breast left?"

The cook made Xie Junling a braised duck rack today. The broth was rich and full of duck aroma. She then dipped the duck legs and wings in sesame oil and stuffed them into an iron pot, then baked them in the oven. When she took them out, the duck meat was coated in a slick of oil, and was incredibly crispy and delicious.

This is a rare way of eating in the north. The cook is quite skilled and knew to serve it to Xie Junling as a filial tribute.

She cooked the duck's limbs and skeleton, leaving the breast meat, planning to stir-fry another dish for Xie Junling tomorrow. It was clear that Xie Junling was no slouch; just by looking at the dishes, she could tell what he was missing.

The cook didn't dare to be vague and said hurriedly, "Yes, Master, please wait a moment."

She took out the casserole, which had been chilled in the snow, and handed it to Xie Junling. It was winter now, and the fresh snow was essential for keeping meat fresh. Ice was expensive to buy outside, and even the money for charcoal was hard to come by in the mansion.

Xie Junling took a rope and tied it around his waist, which happened to catch his long sleeves and tie them around his waist. This way, his hands, which were used to write brilliant articles, were free.

Xie Junling's fingers were long, slender, and cold. He grasped the duck breast, his knife moving quickly and steadily, creating several lace-like lines. His other hand gathered salt and sugar, adding a little of the cook's fermented broad bean paste. He spread the sauce evenly over the duck breast, then poured in the wine and egg mixture.

At this time, the oil in the black pot had already been heated. Xie Junling threw the duck meat in and fried it carefully. For a moment, the aroma filled the air, making people's mouths water.

Seeing Xie Junling cooking like this, the cook felt that it was a pity for his hands. She boldly asked, "Master, do you want to cook something to go with the wine?"

Xie Junling lowered his eyelashes and said casually, "My wife likes fried duck. Bring her a plate. It will go well with rice."

They originally thought that Xie Junling was preparing some tasty side dishes for himself, but it turned out that he was cooking for Lu Baoer. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Speaking of favor, which of the Kyoto officials doted on their wives so much? It was good enough for them to go out less for social events and spend more time with the first wife. It was obvious that Lu Baoer was truly lucky.

At this time, the lucky Lu Baoer was supported by the old nanny and came back.

(End of this chapter)